Bowling-ball with inwardly-opening door.



APPLICATION FILED JULY 2.1915.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEETI J. W. HYATT.

BOWLING BALL WITH INWARDLY OPENING DOOR.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

UNITED STA JOHN W. HYATT, OF EAST. ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

BOWLING-BALL WITH INWARDLY-OPENING DOOR.

Application filed July 2, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. HYATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at 45 North Arlington avenue, East Orange, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bowling-Balls with Inwardly- Opening Doors, fully described. and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

The object of the present invention is to furnish a bowling ball having a complete spherical surface with a hand-hole and a door fitted movably thereto and having a grip for the fingers within the ball, and means for automatically restoring the door to the hand-hole upon throwing the ball.

The door may be made upon its inner side to furnish a grip for the fingers, but in the drawing I have shown a rib upon the shell of the ball inside theedge of the hand-hole,

to form a hand-hold for the fingers in swinging the ball. Means is provided to move the door automatically into the hand-hole when the ball is thrown from the hand, and means is also provided to lock the door in the handhole automatically when the door is closed, so as to support the door in the movements of the ball upon the alley. Means is provided to shift the latch or look to unfasten the door and permit it to be pushed inwardly when the ball is to be grasped for throwing, the fingers being then inserted through the hand-hole to grin the hand-hold within the ball. With this construction, the operator may instantly release and push the door inwardly and grip the ball to throw it in a natural manner, and the mere release of thehand from the hand-hole in the act of throwing permits the door to be automatically closed and locked.

The invention is illustrated in connection with adoor hinged to one edge of the handhole and controlled in its automatic movements'by a spring, and. also in connection with a door which slides inwardly upon supporting-rods and can be swung laterally from the hand-hole, when it may be gripped Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.-

Serial No. 37,765. i

to swing the ball, or the fingers applied to a rib which forms a hand-hold at one side of the hand-hole.

The invention will be understoodby refthe hand-hole and the finger-hole for thelatch. Figs. 5 and 6 show an alternative construction, Fig. 5 being a section on line 55 in Fig. 6, and Fig. Gshowing the ball in section at its center line, and the door and its attachments in section at one side of the middle line.

The shell A of the 'ball is made of metal covered with an elastic composition B. The oblong hand-hole is shown with sides a and ends I) Z).

In Figs. 1 to4 inclusive, the door is formed with a metallic section 0 corresponding with the shell A, and with a coating 0 corresponding with the coating B. The door is provided with a hinge d at the end I) of the hand-hole, and a latch is provided within the shell at the opposite end of the handhole to engage a notch 6 upon the free end of the door. A rib 0 projects inward from the shell a at one side of the door, which enables the operator to grasp and swing the ball when the door is opened. The dooris opened by retracting the latch and pushing the door inwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1, in which position it is compelled by the fingers to remain While the hand is swinging the ball, and until the fingers are withdrawn from the rib C.

A stud f is provided upon the inner side of the door to which a compression-spring g is jointed, and the other end of the spring is fitted to swing upon a fulcrum-post h- Which is located upon the interior of the shell a in such a position that when the door is opened by pushing it inward, the fulcrum may be nearly in line with the stud f and the hinge g. This places the spring under compression, and prevents its exerting any material force to close, the door, but permitting it to act instantly when the fingers are withdrawn from the rib C.

A stop 9' is formed upon the door to arrest its movement when opened sufiiciently to thus compress the spring, but to prevent the stud f from moving past the line joining the post it and the hinge d,-as such excess of movement would deprive the spring of any tendency whatever to close the door when the fingers were withdrawn from the doorway.

The latch may be of any preferred form provided it can be actuated from the exterior of the ball, to release the door when it is desired to grasp and swing the ball. The latch shown consists of a pawl a hinged upon a pivot j and having a plunger is movablein a socket Z and jointed to one edge of the pawl. A spring Z is fitted in the socket to press the plunger and the pawl toward the end of the doorway to engage the notch 6 upon the door, the outeredge of the pawl being sloped so as to push readily backward when the end of the door moves past it, when closing in the curved path indicated by the dotted line The plunger is has a notch 70', and the shell and coating of the ball are formed with a finger-hole mthrough which a finger can be inserted toretract the plunger and the pawl.

When the operator desires to use the ball, a finger is inserted in the finger-hole and the latch retracted, which permits the door to be pushed inward by the other hand and the rib C grasped by the fingers of that hand.

With the alternative construction shown in Figs. 5'and 6, the door a is provided upon its inner side nearopposite ends, with connections to spiral springs n, the inner ends of which are mounted upon studs 0 on the interior of the shell A. These springs operate to force the door normally into the hand-hole, but yield when the door is pushed inwardly. Such inward movement of the door permits it to be moved laterally, as indicated by the dotted lines of, in which position the springs hold it against a seat A within the ball at one side of the handhole. Theunderside of the door is, rounded to form a hand-hold for the fingers, in swinging the ball.

When the hand is withdrawn from the hand-hole, the door is pulled back in line with the hand-hole by a spring 1 and when it is fully withdrawn from the seat A, it is forced outward into the hand-hole to complete the spherical surface of the ball. When moved to this position, the door is automatically locked'by latches s fitted to sockets in the opposite ends of the door and pressed outwardly by springs t.

Each. latch has a stop u to limit its outward movement, and has a shoulder u for retracting it.

The latches are retracted simultaneously by applying the finger and thumb to fingerholes w upon the outer side of the door over the shoulders at, and pushing the latches back by pressure upon such shoulders.

From the above construction it will be seen that the essential feature of the invention is a movable door fitted to a handhole in the ball and adapted to complete the spherical surface of the ball, a grip or hand-hold for the fingers within the ball, and means for automatically restoring the door to the hand-hole, and looking it therein, upon throwing the ball. Such grip, as shown in the drawing, may be formed upon the door, as shown in Fig. 5, or upon the shell of the ball, as indicated by the rib C of Figs. 1 and 2.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what is claimed herein is:

1. A bowling ball having a hand-hole with a door, means for holding the door normally closed, and means for displacing the door inwardly to open the hand-hole when required.

2. A hollow bowling ball having a handhole with a door, means for holding the door normally closed, a latch for locking the door, means for retracting the latch to open the door when required, and a'grip or hand-hold within the ball accessible to the hand-hole.

3. A bowling ball having an oblong handhole with door jointed at one end to swing inwardly and having a latch to hold it closed, and a rib at one side of the hand-hole to furnish a grip for the fingers.

4. A bowling ball having an oblong handhole with door jointed at one end to swing inwardly, aspring to close the door, a latch to hold the door closed, and a rib at one side of the hand-hole to furnish a grip for the fingers.

5. A bowling ball having an oblong handhole with door jointed at one end to swing inwardly, a spring-stud upon the inner side of the door, a spring jointed to such stud to close the door and having a fulcrum nearly in line with the stud and the door-hinge when the door is opened, and a latch to hold the door closed.

6. A bowling ball having a hand-hole with door jointed to swing inwardly, a spring to close the door, a latch movable. adjacent to the end of the doorway to hold the 'door closed, and the shell of the ball adjacent to such end of the doorway having a finger-hole to reach the latch for retracting the same.

7. A bowling'ball having ahand-hole with door jointed to swing inwardlyya spring to close the door, a latch movable adjacent to the end of the doorway to hold the door closed, a rib at the side of the doorway'to form a finger-hold, a latch movable adjacent to the end of the doorway to hold the door closed, a spring to press the latch outward, and the shell of the, ball adjacent to such end of the doorway having a finger-hole to reach the latch for retracting the same.

8. A bowling ball having an oblong handliole withdoor jointed at one end to swing inwardly, a rib at the side of the doorway to 10 form a finger-hold, a spring-stud upon the to permit the retraction of the latch.

JOHN W. HYATT. 

